Xiaomi Mi 5s Ultrasonic Fingerprint Scanner: First of Its Kind

One major feature of the Xiaomi Mi 5s is the new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. Manufactured by Qualcomm and bringing new features, the ultrasonic scanner can be said to be the third generation of fingerprint recognition technology. And the Mi 5s will be the first phone in the world to sport it.

The common fingerprint scanners we have in phones today are capacitive scanners which have limitations. A major one is the fact that once your hands are dirty or wet, the scanner fails to read your prints and unlock your device. But that will soon be a thing of the past as this new sensor will accurately read your prints if your hand is wet or covered in sweat or grease.

Another feature is that it also allows manufacturers to hide it from plain view. That way you can have a device that is flush (for devices with scanners on the rear) or ditch the home button (for devices that have their scanners up front). The scanner will work under a variety of materials including glass and aluminium.

Director of IHS Technology, Wang Yang posted on Weibo confirming that the Mi 5s will indeed launch with Qualcomm’s ultrasonic sensor which will be embedded under the front glass. The post is accompanied by an official poster of the feature.